When longtime University of Toledo athletic director Mike O’Brien announced he would be leaving his post next spring, it was celebrated as a retirement on his terms.
It was not.
A deep divide is fracturing the university community, with Mr. O’Brien — and Toledo men’s basketball coach Tod Kowalczyk — caught in the middle.
In the past year, both prominent athletic figures were confident their performance merited a contract extension, only to be denied in curious manners.
Mr. O’Brien was pushed toward the door with a drawn-out sendoff that has been spun as his decision, while Mr.